


Black and Blue Will Lead to You

by butterflyslinky



Series: Life Will Begin with the Color on My Skin [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Minor Violence, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 22:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2708279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflyslinky/pseuds/butterflyslinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your soulmate gets a bruise, you get one in a different color. Bucky's soulmate is either the clumsiest person ever or gets into too many fights.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black and Blue Will Lead to You

**Author's Note:**

> Short fic I wrote to get my brain back in gear. May do more with this premise later.

Almost from the moment he was born, Bucky had bruises from his soulmate, standing out against his pale skin, bright blue marks indicating where his soulmate had been hurt.

His mother clucked in sympathy every time she spotted them. “They must be very clumsy,” she said as more blue spots blossomed over Bucky’s arms and legs. “Probably always banging into things.”

“Or getting into fights,” Becca suggested. “Maybe your soulmate is a big hero and beats people up.”

“More like getting beat up themselves,” Bucky said, unconsciously rubbing at a new spot on his shoulder that was rapidly turning blue. “Maybe someone’s hurting them and they need me to save them!”

Of course, Bucky wouldn’t mind all that so much if the marks weren’t so obvious. His mother said that his soulmate must have a very bright soul to leave marks in suck a lurid shade, but Bucky wished that they didn’t, because showing up to school with an eye surrounded in blue the same color as the goddamned American flag forced him to answer a lot of questions from the other kids, whose marks weren’t as bright or whose soulmates weren’t as accident-prone.

Not that Bucky didn’t get into his fair share of scrapes, of course. The natural bruises he got must have been just as much a worry to his soulmate as the blue marks on Bucky were to him. But Bucky knew he didn’t get into nearly as much trouble as the mysterious person who kept getting hurt so much.

Bucky did wonder what color his bruises were to his soulmate. Everyone was different, of course, their color a reflection of their personality. Bucky hoped that he’d know when he found them, whoever they were. And he would find them. He would find this person, and patch up all their injuries, and then hug them and kiss them and promise that there would be no more bruises for either of them.

That was Bucky’s thinking all through his childhood, especially since the marks only got worse as he got older.

*

Bucky was fifteen when he started feeling the sympathy pain.

Everyone said that was usually a good thing, that it meant your soulmate was nearby, but for Bucky, it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Someone was definitely beating up his soulmate. Bucky could feel every punch and kick, and then someone definitely broke a nose and Bucky felt that too, though thankfully sympathy pain didn’t make him bleed. But through the pain, one thing was clear.

Someone was beating up his soulmate.

And Bucky wasn’t going to stand for it.

He took off down the streets, using the sympathy pain as a guide, finding the direction where it hurt the most, though he knew what he was feeling was nothing compared to his soulmate. He turned corners, backtracked a few times, always following the hits.

Finally, he came to a dingy alleyway where he could see a large guy leaning over something small and drawing his fist back again and again. Bucky couldn’t see the person who was being beaten, but he didn’t care.

“Hey!” Bucky yelled. “Pick on someone else!”

The large man whirled around and came towards him without a word. Bucky stood his ground. He assumed that the marks were obvious to this man, but he wasn’t going to leave. The man drew back his fist and hit Bucky on one cheek. Bucky staggered, but then punched back with all his might.

The fight lasted all of three minutes before Bucky finally fell down. The man spat at him and then turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

It took several minutes before Bucky remembered why he was fighting to begin with. He rolled over and managed to stand up and walk to the other person lying in the alley.

It was a boy, no older than Bucky and much smaller. He was very thin and pale, and had obviously been beat up on a lot. Bucky could see the natural bruises that corresponded to the blue ones on his body. But he could also see marks of deep black where his own bruises were, and he knew.

Bucky dropped to his knees and reached over to the boy. “Hey,” he said.

The boy opened his eyes and looked at him, and his eyes were the same bright blue as Bucky’s soul marks. “Hey,” he said.

“I’m Bucky.”

“Steve.”

Bucky smiled a bit. “Okay, Steve,” he said. “Where do you live? I’m going to take you home.”

Steve struggled to his feet. “I’m fine,” he said.

“No you aren’t,” Bucky said back. “Believe me, I know.”

Steve finally looked closely at Bucky and his eyes widened as he recognized the marks on his skin. “So you’re the one,” he said.

“Guess so,” Bucky said. “You’re the guy who keeps making me look like a Dalmatian.”

“Sorry,” Steve mumbled. “I don’t like bullies.”

“It’s okay,” Bucky said. “Cause I’m gonna take care of you.” His hand found Steve’s, and they felt natural together. “And if you’ll let me, I’ll make sure we stop getting these bruises.”

Steve smiled. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
